PRESS RELEASE

Phil McIntyre Entertainment by arrangement with Vivienne Smith Management presents

Following on from being the biggest and fastest selling ticket of the Edinburgh Fringe last summer, a five week residency in London at the Riverside Studios and a fully sold out Autumn tour, due to huge demand, Irish comic Ed Byrne has added another 60 touring dates up and down the country this coming spring with his critically acclaimed smash hit show, Different Class.

Half Toff, Half Pikey….. All Comic

Different Class examines Ed's inability to fit in, whether it be with the youth of today, the old, the middle class or the working class. Steadily turning into a grumpy middle aged man Ed touches on all things that exasperate him including his recent marriage, class and all its divisions, the young and their ways and anything else that strikes him as humorous.

Ed has been very busy since he last was on tour. He will soon be seen on BBC 1's Live At The Apollo and broadcast recently was his half hour special for Paramount . He has been a consistently regular panelist on BBC 2's Mock the Week and Have I Got News for You as well as various other new comedy shows including Argumental and other shows for Dave as well as numerous BBC Radio 2 and 4 appearances, and has recently been seen on the Graham Norton Show . Last year he toured the UK with his sell out show Standing Up and Falling Down and took the show around Australia and New Zealand as well. Ed has a radio 2 sitcom in the pipeline and is also writing a book about climbing the Scottish Munro's.

What the papers have said about Different Class

"a masterful display of the comics art…This is a seamless and perfectly timed show that could stand proudly next to any Izzard, Bailey, Carr or Skinner stadium-filler." ***** Sunday Times

"Byrne is at the top of his game" **** The Sunday Telegraph

"Ed Byrne is a class apart" **** Evening Standard

"At the height of his powers... Its no wonder this is selling out nightly" The Observer

"His wit won deafening cheers and feet stomping" The Guardian

"Jokes come so fast that hecklers don't have a chance to get a word in edgeways" The Times

"Hottest tip this year is Ed Byrne…fluent, assured and wicked" The Sunday Times

"It is rare for a comic to merit the word “masterful” but in this case it is no overstatement" The Scotsman

"His set had the audience in stitches for most of the evening - they roared their approval at the end - but he is technically excellent as well, the sure sign of a comic on the cusp of a major career. It does not come much better than this." The Stage

ED BYRNE TOUR DATES SPRING 2009

FEBRUARY

Sun 1 WOLVERHAMPTON, Wulfren 08703 207 000 wolvescivic.co.uk
Tue 3 STOCKPORT, Plaza 0161 477 7779 stockportplaza.co.uk
Wed 4 BROMSGROVE, Artrix 01527 577 330 artrix.co.uk
Fri 6 - Sat 7 TUNBRIDGE WELLS, Trinity Arts 01892 678678 trinitytheatre.net
Mon 9 BRIGHTON, Theatre Royal 08700 606 650 theambassadors.com/theatreroyal
Wed 11 - Thur 12 JERSEY, Opera House 01534 511 115 jerseyoperahouse.co.uk
Sat 14 DUDLEY , Concert Hall 01384 812 812 dudley.gov.uk
Sun 15 LEICESTER, Curve Theatre 0116 242 3595 curveonline.co.uk
Mon 16 CARDIFF, St David's Hall 029 2087 8444 stdavidshallcardiff.co.uk
Tue 17 BASINGSTOKE, Anvil 01256 844 244 anvilarts.org.uk
Thurs 19 BURNLEY, Mechanics 01282 664 400 burnleymechanics.co.uk
Fri 20 BRADFORD, St George's Concert Hall 01274 432 000 bradford-theatres.co.uk
Sat 21 DARTFORD, The Orchard 01322 220 000 dartford.gov.uk/orchard
Sun 22 SOUTHAMPTON, Guildhall 023 8063 2601 livenation.co.uk/southampton
Tue 24 ABERDEEN, Music Hall 01224 641 122 musichallaberdeen .com
Wed 25 MIDDLESBROUGH, Town Hall 01642 815 181 middlesbrough.gov.uk
Fri 27 PORTSMOUTH, New Theatre Royal 023 9264 9000 http://newtheatreroyal.com
Sat 28 CHELTENHAM, Town Hall 01242 227 979 cheltenhamtownhall.org.uk

MARCH

Sun 1 MILTON KEYNES, Milton Keynes Th. 0870 060 6652 theambassadors.com
Tue 3 BASILDON, Towngate Theatre 01268 465 465 basildon.gov.uk
Wed 4 BIRMINGHAM, Town Hall 0121 780 3333 thsh.co.uk
Thurs 5 RUNCORN, The Bindley 0151 907 8360 brindley.halton.gov.uk
Fri 6 SOUTHEND, Pavilion Theatre 01702 351 135 thecliffspavilion.co.uk
Sat 7 SALISBURY, City Hall 01722 434 434 cityhallsalisbury.co.uk
Sun 8 COVENTRY, Warwick Arts Centre 024 7652 4524 warwickartscentre.co.uk
Tue 10 DURHAM, Gala Theatre 0191 332 4041 galadurham.co.uk
Wed 11 CAMBRIDGE, Corn Exchange 01223 357 851 cornex.co.uk
Thurs 12 PETERBOROUGH, Broadway Theatre 01733 316 100 thebroadwaytheatre.co.uk
Fri 13 AYELSBURY, Civic Centre 01296 486 009 aylesburycivic.org
Sat 14 SALFORD, The Lowry 0870 787 5780 thelowry.com
Sun 15 ST HELENS, Theatre Royal 01744 756 000 sthelenstheatreroyal.com
Wed 18 BRECON, Theatr Brycheiniog 01874 611 622 theatrbrycheiniog.co.uk
Sat 21 EDINBURGH, Queens Hall 0131 668 2019 thequeenshall.net
Sun 22 KIRKCALDY, Adam Smith 01592 583 301 attfife.org.uk
Mon 23 GLASGOW, King's Theatre 0870 060 6648 theambassadors.com/kings
Wed 25 HARROGATE, Theatre 01423 502 116 harrogatetheatre.co.uk
Thurs 26 LINCOLN, The Engine Shed 0844 8888 766 engineshed.co.uk
Fri 27 TELFORD, Oakengates 01952 619 020 oakengates.ws
Sat 28 DUBLIN , Vicar Street + 353 (0)818 719 390 ticketmaster.ie
Sun 29 NEWCASTLE, Theatre Royal 08448 112 121 theatreroyal.co.uk
Tue 31 SWINDON, Wyvern 01793 524 481 wyverntheatre.org.uk

APRIL

Wed 1 ABERYSTWYTH, Arts Centre 01970 623 232 aberystwythartscentre.co.uk
Thurs 2 PORTHCAWL, Grand Pavilion 01656 786 995 bridgend.gov.uk
Fri 3 CRAWLEY, The Hawth 01293 553 636 tickets.hawth.co.uk
Sat 4 CHESTERFIELD, The Winding Wheel 01246 345 334 windingwheel.co.uk
Sun 5 CHATHAM, Central Theatre 01634 338 338 medway.gov.uk
Tue 7 NOTTINGHAM, Playhouse 0115 941 9419 nottinghamplayhouse.co.uk
Wed 8 BUXTON, Opera House 0845 127 2190 buxtonoperahouse.org.uk
Thurs 9 COLCHESTER, Mercury Theatre 01206 573 948 mercurytheatre.co.uk
Fri 10 WESTON SUPER MARE, Playhouse Th. 01934 645 544 theplayhouse.co.uk
Sat 11 DERBY, Assembly Rooms 01332 255 800 assemblyrooms-derby.co.uk
Sun 12 IPSWICH, Corn Exchange 01473 433 100 online.ipswich.gov.uk
Tue 14 BEDFORD, Corn Exchange 01234 269 519 bedfordcornexchange.co.uk
Wed 15 DARLINGTON, Civic Theatre 01325 486 555 darlington.gov.uk/Culture
Thurs 16 WELLINGBOROUGH, The Castle 01933 270 007 thecastle.org.uk
Sat 18 ST ALBANS, Arena 01727 844 488 alban-arena.co.uk